[YES] Venture the Gryphon Partial by Dragons Den Fursuits Maker Information Dragons Den Fursuits (EELOWYN) Based in Alberta, Crossfield. Crafting since Dec 2016. Year of Project2024 Completion Time (?)1 - 3 Months ETA AccuracyEARLY - the item was delivered before the ETA An ETA is the Estimated Time of Arrival for a project. In other words, an estimated turnaround time. An ETA is not a deadline. Review Date11 November 2025 RelationshipThe maker is NOT a friendThis relationship was indicated by the reviewer at the time this review was written. Review InformationReviewerBluesky: @aventurebirb.bsky.social Prior ExperienceSecond personal fursuit, also worn friend's fursuits. Wear Time30+ hours (1 year) Informed Maker of IssuesAfter receiving the fursuit and wearing it, I realized that the arm sleeves were a tad too short. My skin would be sometimes be exposed between the top arm sleeve and my shirt sleeve. I messaged my maker about it and she said it would be no problem to extend the arm sleeves, easy adjustment. Small project that could be done alongside larger queued projects. Venture (full partial) Positive ProjectThis item was a commission Paid: A Lump Sum of $3000 - $4999 Initial Contact: October 2024 Completion/Ship Date: December 2024 Shipping Origin: Canada Type: Partial Style: Toony Padding: Plantigrade SpeciesName: Gryphon Found in: Aves, Canidae(?) Features: Wings, Hair / Wig Concept Art Photos of Completed Product Overall Initial ContactIt was very easy to contact the maker. She is active on several social platforms, and responds quickly to inquiries. Initial quote was through a google form, in which I included my Telegram handle and we discussed it further from there. The detailed quote inquiry cost $20usd, which I think is totally fair for the level of detail and service provided. We went over several options, reviewed reference material, and compared her previous projects for visualization. She provided a detailed material breakdown, matching various furs to each colour/section of my reference sheet. Everything was super clear, and I knew exactly what to expect and what was included with the quote. Maker CommunicationI am blown away by the professionalism and quality of communication by DDF/Mocha. Replies were always quick and detailed (within her defined business hours), and she was very friendly and happy to answer any questions to the best of her ability. I cannot say enough good things about her communication! Expectations and outcomes were clear and well-defined, and I immediately established a high level of trust and confidence in the maker. Once the commission started, she provided regular updates every step of the way (sometimes daily or even multiple times per day), occasionally asking for input in the design. The process felt very collaborative, and it was super exciting watching my fursuit come together piece by piece. Project Completion TimeThe project was completed astonishingly fast! DDF has her process dialed in, and is super efficient, delivering exceptional quality in incredible timeframes. I was initially quoted three months, but DDF delivered in only two months! I was in queue for about a month, and then once started, the entire project was completed in under a month! My position in the queue and status of the project was frequently updated on Trello. For delivery, I was away travelling for the holidays, and the maker was very helpful to coordinate shipping during my window of availability. Shipment was smooth and had tracking along the way. Overall Project QualityI am absolutely thrilled by the quality of this fursuit. I still remember the magical moment when I first put it on and looked in the mirror <3 The build quality is top-tier! Everything is comfortable to wear, and easy to put on / take off. The visibility is great, which makes me feel very comfortable wearing the suit in any environment. The built-in fan in the head significantly enhances comfort in hot environments. After a year of use, several conventions, and countless times packed into luggage, I've noticed zero wear or damages and everything has been very durable! The complete partial (head, wings, sleeves, paws, tails, feet) fit well into an XL luggage, with room to spare even. I've taken it on several flights and road trips with no issues. Everything looks fantastic, and I appreciate how attentive to detail the maker is. Each component of the full partial aesthetically fit and flow well together. I get compliments every time I wear it at a convention. The quality of the fursuit and professionalism of the maker exceeded my expectations, and was absolutely worth every dollar paid. Excellent value, 10/10 experience. Components Head Wear SatisfactionHead is extremely comfortable and has fantastic visibility. I feel perfectly confident with my vision moving around and navigating spaces. The head is lined for comfort, is lightweight, and well-fitting. There is a pocket in the neck for a battery pack to power the built-in fan, which is a life-saver for fursuiting in the heat! The fan is well-balanced and installed such that it blows fresh air towards your mouth for breathing, and also enhances the general airflow of the head. It's a bit tricky to wear glasses inside the head. I only have one pair of slim glasses that fit, and it's tight and presses against my face slightly. A tad uncomfortable for long-term wear, but nice to have an alternative option to contacts if I'm not planning to fursuit all day. But otherwise the head feels very secure and doesn't shift around when I move my head. Visual SatisfactionThe head is perfectly symmetrical and matches my fursona's design very well. The fabrication is of the upmost quality! Nothing bad to say. The fur is cleanly shaved, transitions flow seamlessly, and everything is super soft. The maker absolutely nailed the beak fluff. I think the head looks great from any angle, and I'm very happy with it. Upper Body Wear SatisfactionUpper body I'll break down into armsleeves and wings. Armsleeves: They transition very well with the paws, and fit and feel great. There is an elastic band connecting the sleeves together that runs behind your back (or can be woven through your shirt). I love that feature, because I can take the sleeves off to cool down, and they just hang nicely from the elastic band. Sleeves are unlined, which allows for better breathability, and still feel comfortable (not scratchy or anything). Wings: I LOVE the wings! They fit great (backpack strap style), and look amazing! They have the perfect balance of stiffness and floppiness, which creates a very natural movement. They're optimally-sized such that they look proportionally large enough, but aren't too awkward to pass through doors and move around (relatively negligible impact on movement, easily manageable). I can intentionally bap somebody with my wings, but it doesn't happen accidentally too often except for in very crowded spaces. And as a bonus, they fit inside a large suitcase for transport! Visual SatisfactionI am very satisfied with the visual appearance of the wings and sleeves. The sleeves do well to create the scale effect, and have a clean transition with the fur tufts at the top of the arms. The wings look amazing and add so much detail and style to the fursuit! Both match my fursona's design (ref sheet) very well. Hands Wear SatisfactionThe unlined handpaws are durable and well-made. They move well and are comfortable. I have small hands so they do feel slightly loose. They don't slide off normally, but if I shake my hands they will slide off easily. They feel more secure when I overlap them with the armsleeves or a hoodie. I think these paws would benefit from some sewn-in padding to snug-up the fingers. But otherwise they are very high quality and I'm happy with them. Visual SatisfactionI love how the scales are sewn onto the handpaws. The scales and claws look great, and the paws flow very nicely with the armsleeves. Tail Wear SatisfactionMy character uniquely has two tails: a fox tail beneath a crow tail. The belt loops line up nicely to allow both tails to be worn at the same time (or separately). The two tails fit well together, are comfortable, and very durable (no issues so far!). Visual SatisfactionI was uncertain how well the two tails would translate in reality, but I'm very happy how they turned out! They are well-proportioned to each other, and visually fit and flow very well together. The minky fabric used on the bird tail contrasts nicely with the fluffy fur of the fox tail. They both feel very soft, and are easy to brush and maintain. Feet Wear SatisfactionThe feet are very comfy, and are snug yet easy to slip on/off. They are cushioned, slipper style, and comfy for walking. These are outdoor footpaws with durable padding on the bottom, but I haven't worn them outside much to test the outdoor durability. I've mostly worn them indoors, and so far they've held up very well. Visual SatisfactionMy footpaws are all-black except for the claws, and the contrast of the long fur foot and shaved fur toes creates a good visual distinction. They look great, and flow very well with pant legs. I've occasionally worn them at home just for the visual euphoria of seeing paw feet (and they're comfy!). RatingFursuitReview rates by asking the question: Would you recommend this maker? YES This review has been marked with a positive rating. This means the reviewer would recommend Dragons Den Fursuits. Final CommentsI cannot recommend Dragons Den Fursuits (DDF) strongly enough!! Phenomenal communication, incredible professionalism, and spectacular build quality. If you want a 10/10 commissioning experience, look no further. Top-tier quality at shockingly fast timelines. She also hosts a Telegram group chat for you to connect with other DDF fursuiters. And if you attend a convention that she vends at, there's usually a fun meetup and DDF fursuit family photo! Are you the maker of this item? Would you like to leave an official response? Click here. In case the button above doesn't work, you can click here to launch the maker response form.
